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–+ servings
Square image of one cupcake frosted and garnished with an orange slice.
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Orange Cupcakes

Filled with fresh orange flavor and a cream cheese frosting, these Orange Cupcakes are a summer dessert staple you won't be able to resist.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time19 minutes
Total Time44 minutes
Course: Cupcakes, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14 - 15
Calories: 439kcal
Author: Tornadough Alli

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons orange zest
  • 1 1/3 cup cake flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup salted butter softened to room temperature
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup sour cream room temperature
  • ¼ cup orange juice

Frosting:

  • ¾ cup salted butter softened
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 Tablespoon orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:

  • Orange zest if desired
  • Quartered orange slices if desired

Instructions

  • Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a small bowl, add the sugar and zest. Rub the zest and sugar together with the tips of your fingers. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar/zest mixture until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add the sour cream, and orange juice and mix until just combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  • Fill each cupcake liner ¾ cull of batter and bake for 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes before removing to cool out of the tin on the cooling rack. Don’t frost until completely cooled.
  • To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer whip the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
  • Add the powdered sugar, orange juice/zest, and vanilla and mix on low until combined and then whip on medium-high speed for a few minutes.
  • Add the frosting to a piping bag with an open star tip and pipe swirls on top of the cupcakes. Garnish with a slice of orange and a sprinkle of zest.

Notes

  1. Cream cheese frostings have the tendency to be softer. If your frosting is too soft to pipe then cover it and place in the fridge for 30 minutes before frosting or add slightly more powdered sugar.
  2. You can swap the vanilla extract for orange extract if you want an even punchier orange flavor. 
  3. Other frostings can be used such as a buttercream or a whipped topping.
  4. Don’t skip rubbing the sugar and zest together. It helps the oils come out of the zest giving it a stronger orange flavor in the cupcakes. 
  5. These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
  6. If you use unsalted butter add an additional ¼ teaspoon salt to the batter and a pinch to the frosting.
  7. Fresh or store-bought orange juice will both work for this recipe.
  8. Room temperature ingredients work best with this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 664IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 0.3mg